Co-medalist and amateur Clayton Crawford of Aspen was joined by Micah Rudosky of Cortez and Brandon Bingaman of Montrose in advancing to the Open through the tournament’s second qualifier.

Crawford made seven birdies in a round of 4-under-par 68 to share medalist honors with Cole Howard of Burleson, Texas, Jake Hunter of Page, Ariz., and Davis Garner of Ogden, Utah.

The other scores for the qualifiers on Tuesday were Alex Kim of Fullerton, Calif. (69), Zack Byrd of Murrels Inlet, S.C. (69), Rudosky (70), Justin Keiley of Haiku, Hawaii (70), John Buffalo of Las Vegas, Nev. (70), Jere Pelletier of El Paso, Texas (71), Cody Martin of Fort Mitchell, Ky. (71), Bingaman (72), Hayden Christensen of St. George, Utah (72) and Chris Dompier of Tucson, Ariz. (72).

For all of Tuesday’s scores, CLICK HERE. 

For results from the first of the four Colorado Open qualifiers, CLICK HERE.

The $250,000 Colorado Open will be held July 21-24 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver.
 

Following up from last week, when we started our two-part retrospective on the top Colorado golf stories of 2014 (CLICK HERE for the first installment), we continue our countdown with the “back nine” — the top nine stories of the year — in reverse order. And at the end, we’ll include a list of honorable-mention selections.

9. The Jennifer Kupcho Express: Jennifer Kupcho won, she won consistently and she won big in Colorado in 2014. It was indeed a remarkable run for the golfer from Westminster who will be playing collegiately at Wake Forest beginning next year. While her most remarkable performance of the year may have come in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, where she finished second as a 17-year-old amateur competing against a field that included plenty of tour pros, that’s just a small part of the story. Kupcho (left) won the 4A state high school meet by 14 shots; the CWGA Junior Stroke Play by nine, the CJGA Tournament of Champions by 12; the CJGA Junior Series Championship by eight; the CWGA Match Play by 6 and 5 in the final, and she took low-amateur honors in the Colorado Women’s Open by 12. All told, she captured three CWGA titles, two major CJGA victories and a state high school crown. She also qualified for two USGA national championships. Kupcho was the youngest CWGA Player of the Year since 1999 and earned her third consecutive CWGA Junior POY honor. Out of state, she tied for eighth place in the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and placed eighth in the Girls Junior America’s Cup. Full story: CLICK HERE.

8. Locals Headed for Top Tours: The last several months have produced a big crop of players with strong Colorado connections who have qualified for golf’s top tours — many for the first time. Here’s a quick rundown:

— Denver native Mark Hubbard earned PGA Tour status by finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, also landed exempt status on the PGA Tour for the first time thanks to his 2014 performance on the Web.com Tour. Full story: CLICK HERE.

— Former University of Denver golfer Espen Kofstad regained a spot on the European Tour by finishing 10th in Q-school. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Not long after winning his second consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship — and becoming what is believed to be the oldest champion in the event’s history (age 52) — Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale earned conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour by finishing 12th, thanks to a playoff, at the Q-school finals. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Tonje Daffinrud, who turned pro this year after placing 10th in the NCAA Women’s Finals for DU, qualified for the Ladies European Tour by finishing fifth on the Access Series 2014 Order of Merit. Full story: CLICK HERE.

— Former Fort Collins resident Drew Stoltz earned conditional status on the Web.com Tour by making it to the final stage of Q-school. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

7. Stadler’s Breakthrough: Part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler broke through in February for his first victory on the PGA Tour, out-dueling Bubba Watson down the stretch to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Stadler, who has claimed titles at the Colorado Open and the CGA Match Play (twice), went on to be in the same field as his dad, Evergreen resident Craig Stadler, in the Masters, where Craig won in 1982. Kevin Stadler, a Kent Denver High School graduate, placed eighth at Augusta National, marking his best finish ever in a major championship. He won more than $2.3 million on the PGA Tour in 2014, not counting what he made for placing second in the French Open. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

6. Clark Shines at College Level as Redshirt Freshman: Wyndham Clark (left) of Lone Tree made a splash on the national scene a couple of times during the year. The 2010 CGA Stroke Play champion earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors during his redshirt freshman season at Oklahoma State. Full story: CLICK HERE. This despite the passing of his mother, Lise, at age 55 in 2013 after a battle with breast cancer. Clark also played in the match-play finals of the NCAA Championships, where OSU fell to Alabama and finished second in the nation as a team. Despite the loss, Clark won all his individual matches (3-0) in the match-play portion of the NCAA tournament. Full story: CLICK HERE. In addition, Clark, a two-time Colorado state high school champion, also represented the U.S. in the Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-like competition between the top college players from America and Europe. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

5. 50 Years and Counting for Colorado Open: The HealthOne Colorado Open celebrated its 50th year in 2014, and what a 50-year run it has been. Since debuting in 1964 (the tournament wasn’t held one year, 2003), a long list of golf luminaries have participated in the event, including Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Fred Couples, Mark O’Meara, Dave Stockton, Dave Hill, Don January, Steve Jones, Dow Finsterwald, George Archer, Al Geiberger, Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington and Peter Jacobsen. All told, participants in the Colorado Open have accounted for more than 35 major championship victories. And there are 10 Colorado Open champions who have now won at least one PGA Tour event. Former athletes John Elway, John Brodie and Rick Rhoden have also competed. Full story: CLICK HERE. The Colorado Open wasn’t the only Colorado Open Championship to celebrate a notable anniversary in 2014 as the Women’s Open was held for the 20th time.

4. Vickers Given His Due: It’s difficult to overstate the impact Jack Vickers has had on the Colorado golf scene, given that without him the PGA Tour’s International at Castle Pines wouldn’t have existed. As it is, the Vickers-founded tournament (and Castle Pines Golf Club) produced 21 Tour events from 1986 through 2006 — many of them very memorable. Champions of the tournament include Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Davis Love and Vijay Singh. Therefore, it was no small matter when in September, Vickers was the 11th recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. Seeing who had previously won the honor speaks to its stature: Gene Sarazen (1996), Byron Nelson (1997), Arnold Palmer (1998), Sam Snead (1998), Jack Burke (2003), Pete Dye (2005), Deane Beman (2007), Jack Nicklaus (2008), President George H.W. Bush (2009), and Gary Player (2012). Full story: CLICK HERE. 

3. Year of the Oddity: To say that there were some odds-defying feats in Colorado golf in 2014 would be a vast understatement. Here are some of the oddities that happened this year:

— In April at Gypsum Creek Golf Course east of Glenwood Springs, Fred Kessler from Gypsum and Dan Eby from Avon, playing in the same group, both aced the 151-yard 17th hole — with consecutive shots. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In July during a practice round for the HealthOne Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Micah Rudosky and his son Jakob each made a hole-in-one during the same round while playing in the same group. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Also at the Colorado Open, amateur Cole Nygren of Longmont pulled off one of golf’s rarest feats. He holed a 3-wood from 296 yards for an albatross — a double eagle — on the par-5 ninth hole. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In September at the Ram Masters Invitational college tournament at Fort Collins Country Club, there were three holes-in-one in less than an hour on the same hole, the ninth. Drew McCullough of Wyoming, Shane Fontenot of McNeese State and Pierre Tillement of George Washington pulled off the feat. McCullough went on to win the individual title at the tournament. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— In October, Denver resident Connie Gallagher made what is believed to be the first hole-in-one on a par-4 by a female in the history of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Gallagher aced the fourth hole from 253 yards. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

— Later in October, University of Colorado men’s head coach Roy Edwards and assistant coach Brandon White not only made holes-in-one on the same day and at the same course (Boulder Country Club’s Fowler Course), but they did it within a minute of one another on adjacent holes. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

2. Flood Recovery: For some Colorado golf courses, it was a matter of days or weeks to get back to normal following the devastating floods of September, 2013, when close to 15 inches of rain fell in six days in some areas of Colorado. But for many other facilities, recovery continued into 2014. A partial list of courses significantly affected includes Coal Creek in Louisville, CommonGround in Aurora, Mariana Butte in Loveland, Pelican Lakes in Windsor, Estes Park Golf Course, the Lake Estes Executive 9-Hole Course, Evergreen Golf Course, Twin Peaks in Longmont and Flatirons in Boulder. Perhaps the two courses that withstood the most damage were Coal Creek and CommonGround (above), which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA. CommonGround returned to 18-hole status for its championship course on May 29. Full story: CLICK HERE. And officials hope to finally reopen Coal Creek, with an estimated reconstruction cost of $5.6 million, sometime late in the spring of 2015. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

1. BMW Championship the Best of the Best: The BMW Championship, hosted by Cherry Hills Country Club in the first week of September, earned the No. 1 spot on our list for two main reasons: First, it marked the first time Colorado had hosted a PGA Tour event since 2006 — and it was a FedExCup Playoff event at that; Second, all its net proceeds benefit the Evans Scholarship for caddies, including those attending school at the University of Colorado. In both regards, the tournament was a major success. All of the top 10 players in the World Golf Ranking competed, and seven of the top 15 in those rankings finished in the top 10 at Cherry Hills. Billy Horschel won the tournament and went on to claim the FedExCup title the following week. Full story: CLICK HERE. The penultimate playoff event drew close to 126,000 fans over six days. With former CU Evans Scholar George Solich serving as general chairman, the BMW Championship was not only named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year (CLICK HERE), but it raised a record $3.5 million for the Evans Scholars, which is a flagship program for both the CGA and CWGA (CLICK HERE). (The BMW Championship awards ceremony is pictured, at top, with Horschel in the red pants and Solich standing second from the right.)

Honorable-Mention Selections

— University of Colorado-bound Ross Macdonald became the first player since the 1980s to win consecutive CGA Junior Stroke Play Championships.

— Golf World magazine included four “locals” among its list of the “100 Best Modern Players” (since 1980) on the PGA Tour: David Duval (No. 8), Hale Irwin (35), Craig Stadler (42) and Steve Jones (83).

— Coloradan Mark Wiebe played in the 500th PGA Tour event of his career, competing in the British Open.

— Eric Hoos exited after a 15-year run as University of Denver men’s golf coach, and was replaced by Erik Billinger.

— Sammie Chergo, who coached the DU women’s team to two top-10 finishes in the NCAA finals, became head coach at Oregon State.

— Three Colorado-based golfers earned spots in out-of-state halls of fame: 11-time LPGA Tour winner Shirley Englehorn (LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame), Mark Wiebe (San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame) and Lynn Zmistowski (Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame).

— Denver’s Nick Mason qualified for the U.S. Open.

— The CGA announced that CommonGround Golf Course will host a new AJGA event, the AJGA Hale Irwin Junior, in June 2015.

— In just the second CGA Match Play final since 1981 to go extra holes, Cody Kent defeated Jacob Allenback in 37 holes.

— CSU-Pueblo’s Leina Kim leads the NCAA Division II women’s ranks in scoring average after fall competition (71.2).

— Colorado caddie Melyzjah Smith earned an Evans Scholarship at CU thanks to a hole-in-one Hunter Mahan made at the 2013 BMW Championship near Chicago.

— Seventeen caddies, believed to be a record-sized class, received Evans Scholarships at CU, including 15 teenagers from Colorado.

— For the last time, qualifying for the men’s and women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links were held in Colorado, while the first qualifiers for the men’s and women’s U.S. Four-Balls were contested as the USGA made changes to its championship schedule.

— Josh Seiple of Castle Rock was named to the AJGA All-American second team.

— Former CU golfer Emily Talley finished second in the inaugural Big Break Invitational on the Golf Channel.

— Becca Huffer of Denver won the Michigan PGA Women’s Open.

— Former DU golfer Sue Kim made her third cut in three tries at the U.S. Women’s Open. Greeley’s Carleigh Silvers also qualified for the event.

— A victory on the Symetra Tour narrowly eluded Littleton’s Ashley Tait, who lost in a playoff to Madison Pressel in the Decatur-Forsyth Classic.

— The University of Northern Colorado men won the America Sky Conference title, with Coloradan Ben Krueger capturing the individual title.

— Golf magazine readers named the Broadmoor North America’s top resort.

— Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bob Byman was on the 1974-75 Wake Forest squad that PGATour.com named the top college golf team of all time.
 

July 4th was three weeks ago, but there was no lack of fireworks from the threesome that teed off at 12:10 p.m. on Friday for the 50th HealthOne Colorado Open.

On the group’s ninth hole, on his first shot after an 85-minute weather delay, Devin Schreiner of Durango pitched in from 45 feet for eagle on No. 18 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, moving him into a share of the lead at the time.

Then on the threesome’s final hole of the day — the par-5 ninth — amateur Cole Nygren of Longmont, who was paired with Schreiner, pulled off one of golf’s rarest feats. He made an albatross — a double eagle from 296 yards — to instantly assure himself of making the 36-hole cut.

And, mind you, this is the same tournament in which a father and son, paired together, each made a hole-in-one in a practice round on Tuesday. (See below for more on that accomplishment.)

All in all, it’s been quite a last few days at Green Valley Ranch.

Schreiner’s eagle, coming during a 33-hole bogey-free stretch to start the tournament, and a 1-foot birdie on the final hole gave the former Fort Lewis College golfer a two-stroke lead after Friday.

But let’s start with Nygren’s double-eagle, which deservedly earned high-fives from playing partners Schreiner and Nate Stevenson of Steamboat Springs.

“It’s the best shot I’ve ever hit definitely,” said Nygren (pictured above), who plays college golf for Cal Poly. “I’ve had a couple of hole-in-ones, but that tops it. It was pretty unbelievable. I’ve never felt anything like it. Rarely do you make better than a hole-in-one.”

Standing at 4 over par for the tournament and thinking he at least needed a birdie on his final hole to make the cut, Nygren hit his drive on No. 9 as close as possible to the water that runs across the fairway. From there, he pulled out a 3-wood for the 296-yard shot. The ball just carried the front bunker, but Nygren had no idea it was in the hole until he got up to the cup.

“I assumed I would get some applause if it was on the green, so honestly I thought it was in the bunker,” said Nygren, who recently played in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. “Walking up, I didn’t see it on the green and got up a little further and didn’t see it in the bunker. I saw it bounce on the fringe so I knew there was no way it could have been long. I figured I’d walk up and check the cup, and sure enough …”

The stroke Nygren will never forget gave him an even-par 71 Friday, a 1-over 143 total, and vaulted him into 37th place going into the weekend. It’s amazing what playing a hole in 3 under par will do for you.

Meanwhile, playing partner Schreiner continued his stellar play, backing up a first-round 64 with a 5-under-par 66 in the afternoon wind Friday at GVR. That left him at 12-under-par 130, two ahead of second-place Ian Davis of Edmond Okla. (66-66) and six better than the four golfers tied for third place at 6 under par. Among those at that figure are former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons (67-69) and 2010 champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz. (70-66).

“This is the best I’ve played in a long time,” said Schreiner, who qualified for the Open just last week. “Hopefully I can keep it going.”

The highlight of his day came on the par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the day. He was just walking up to his ball, behind the green, when a horn signaled a suspension of play due to lightning in the area. About an hour and a half later, when play resumed, he coaxed his pitch (left) down the hill and into the cup for an eagle.

“That was a good way to come back out of the rain delay for sure,” the 26-year-old said. “That shot was definitely on my mind (during most of the time during the suspension).”

Schreiner went on to add three birdies, offset by just one bogey, on his back nine despite gusty winds.

“Anytime the wind kicks up, it’s definitely harder to score, so I’m really happy with the way I played today,” he said. “I was able to take advantage of some things I probably shouldn’t have been able to take advantage of.

“I feel really good. I know there’s still two days to play — there’s still a lot of work to be done — but I feel pretty confident after what’s happened in the last 48 hours.”

A smattering of players didn’t finish round 2 on Friday because of the weather delay, and they will resume action at 7 a.m. Saturday. But the top players on the leaderboard all completed 36 holes by the end of the day Friday.

Schreiner’s closest pursuer, Davis, is looking for the first paycheck of his young professional career. Davis, who played for NCAA runner-up Oklahoma State, turned pro in late May. Though the former All-American has missed the cut in all three of his tournaments since then, he hasn’t missed a beat this week.

Competing in the Colorado Open for the first time and having played GVR just once before Thursday, Davis has posted consecutive rounds of 66 for a 10-under 132 total.

“I’ve been playing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been close to playing some really good golf for a while. My goal is to put it in some spots where I can make birdies and see how low I can go. I’ve done pretty well the last two days, and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Indeed, Davis has gone bogey-free for his last 33 holes after starting the tournament bogey-par-double bogey.

Davis is playing this week after getting the thumbs-up on the Colorado Open from Oklahoma State assistant coach Brian Guetz, a two-time Colorado Open champion.

“It’s a great event. They run it awesome,” Davis said.

Aces by Father and Son, Same Group, Same Day: Micah Rudosky, the head professional at Conquistador Golf Club in Cortez, and his son Jakob both missed the cut Friday in the Colorado Open, but they left Green Valley Ranch Golf Club with an indelible memory.

On Tuesday in a practice round at GVR, the Rudoskys defied the odds in a big way by each making a hole-in-one during the same round while playing in the same group.

Jakob Rudosky, who finished fifth in the 4A state high school tournament last fall, struck first, acing the fifth hole with an 8-iron.

Three holes later, it was dad’s turn, as Micah holed out a — you guessed it — 8-iron shot to match his son’s feat.

“When (Jakob’s) went in, it was unbelievable,” Micah said Friday. “Then when I made it — that just doesn’t happen. In your group you might have one, but for both of us to have one — and they were both 8-irons … That’s kind of funny. We’ll never forget it.”

Tolan Makes a 180-Degree Turn: As the winner of two HealthOne Colorado Opens in the last five years, Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch was far from enamored by the 4-over-par 75 he shot in Thursday’s opening round at Green Valley Ranch.

But it wasn’t simply the score that bothered the former University of Colorado golfer.

“My dad (John Tolan, the head professional at South Suburban Family Sports) couldn’t make it out the first two days and said he was going to come on Sunday,” Derek Tolan noted on Friday. “I shot 75 yesterday and I was a little sad knowing that I’d have to have a pretty exceptional round to (make the cut and play on the weekend). But I did it.”

Indeed, and in spectacular fashion. Tolan birdied the first five holes Friday, six of the first seven, and carded nine birdies on the day as he shot a 5-under-par 66 and moved from 96th place to 20th.

Tolan said five consecutive birdies matches his best in competition. Appropriately, he capped his round with a 15-foot birdie on No. 18. His 66 came despite a double bogey (on No. 10) and two bogeys.

“I didn’t have anything close to a birdie (Thursday) besides a two-putt on No. 2 for birdie,” Tolan said. “Having that, then turning around 10 hours later and making nine (birdies) was shocking. It caught me off guard. I was pleased with it. I was also pleased with hanging in there grinding after hitting some poor shots.”

Despite being 11 strokes out of the lead with two days left, Tolan wouldn’t rule out his chances at another title.

“Especially out here, with how quickly things can change,” he said. “I’m going to have to play pretty exceptional, but there’s a lot of room to be made up out here. I’m definitely going to have to play extremely well, but it’s there.”

Notables: Former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and the 1996 Colorado Open champion, struggled again Friday and missed the cut. He shot 78-77 for a 13-over-par 155 total. He managed just one birdie on Friday. … Also missing the 36-hole cut to the low 60 players and ties was defending champion Zahkai Brown of Arvada (75-74–149). … Colorado State University golfer Cameron Harrell leads the amateur competition at the halfway point of the Open. He’s carded rounds of 68-70 for a 4-under-par 138 total, which leaves him one ahead of Jacob Holt of Tooele, Utah. … For Saturday’s third round, the plan is to send players off both the first and 10th tees, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

He’s beaten senior players, junior players, mid-amateurs and everything in between.

In short, it’s been a rip-roaring good year for Doug Rohrbaugh, the head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club.

Already the winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open and the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, co-champion of the U.S. Senior Open qualifier in Colorado, and a third-place finisher in the HealthOne Colorado Open, Rohrbaugh added the Colorado PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday.

As Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club, president of the Colorado PGA, noted, “I’ve signed a lot of checks for you this year.”

And at 51, Rohrbaugh became one of the oldest winners — and perhaps the oldest — of the Colorado PGA’s top tournament. Fred Wampler, for one, also won the title after turning 50, doing so in 1974.

“The only thing I keep saying is, ‘Why did it take me 50 years to figure this out?'” said Rohrbaugh (pictured above and below). “There’s definitely something to be said for older and wiser, but who knows?”

After taking a four-stroke lead into the final round, the Carbondale resident shot a second consecutive 1-under-par 71 and won by five shots at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott. He didn’t lose the lead all day and finished at 6-under-par 210. The victory — Rohrbaugh’s first in the event after competing in it for two decades — was worth $7,500.

Rob Hunt of The Links Golf Course, winner of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship in both 2009 and ’11, tied for second at 215 Wednesday after a final-round 69. Micah Rudosky of Conquistador (72 Wednesday) and Jerry Smith of Three Crowns Golf Club in Casper, Wyo. (70) also shared second place. Rudosky won the title in 2001.

“Without Doug, it was a close race,” Hunt said with a laugh.

The top eight finishers, plus PGA Championship qualifier Caine Fitzgerald, earned spots in the 2014 PGA Professional National Championship, which will be played June 22-25 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Besides the aforementioned, advancing were Ari Papadopoulos of Red Sky, Milstead, University of Denver women’s assistant coach Erik Billinger, and Matt Schalk of Colorado National.

Schalk landed the final national berth when he prevailed over John Ogden of Cherry Hills on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.

But the main story Wednesday was Rohrbaugh and the continuation of his sensational summer.

“It’s incredible,” Hunt said. “I don’t know what the records would show, but I don’t know if (what he’s done in all those tournaments) has ever happened. It certainly hasn’t happened very often.”

Even Rohrbaugh himself is a little dumbfounded at the success he’s enjoyed in 2013.

“Oh my gosh, what can you say, other than ‘wow’,” he said. “I’m blown away. I’m obviously thrilled. You dream about every tournament you play in you want to win, but God, I’ve never had a year remotely like this.”

On Wednesday, while Rohrbaugh never relinquished the lead, Rudosky (pictured at left) moved within two strokes when Rohrbaugh bogeyed No. 8. And he was still within three after Rohrbaugh made his second bogey, at No. 14.

But the par-5 15th proved pivotal. There, Rohrbaugh pushed his tee shot and it ended up in a bush. Though he had to take an unplayable lie penalty, he was able to drop in a spot that gave him a chance to advance his ball a considerable distance.

After Rudosky elected to lay up from the fairway — which surprised Rohrbaugh — the latter took a 3-wood from the rough, 280 yards from the pin, and faded his ball around some tree limbs. It hit in front of the green and rolled to within 30 feet of the cup. Despite taking the unplayable, Rohrbaugh two-putted for par. Rudosky, meanwhile, missed his 7-foot birdie attempt, meaning there was no blood on the hole.

“I couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Rohrbaugh said. “That was the shot of the day for me. If I had made bogey and he made birdie (it’s down to a one-stroke difference). My whole attitude changed the rest of the way. Not that I wasn’t feeling confident before that, but I had a lot more.”

Rohrbaugh played the last three holes in 1 under par, not giving his closest competitors any openings.

And now, like last year, Rohrbaugh has his sights set on his big goal for the fall — trying to qualify for the Champions Tour. Time will tell how he fares, but the roll he’s on has him thinking big.

“I feel confident. This just keeps building the confidence,” he said.

Here are the top 10 finishers from the Colorado PGA Professional Championship: 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 68-71-71–210; 2. (tie) Rob Hunt 72-74-69–215; Jerry Smith 74-71-70–215; Micah Rudosky 70-73-72–215; 5. Ari Papadopoulos 71-75-70–216; 6. (tie) Barry Milstead 75-73-69–217; Erik Billinger 74-71-72–217; 8. (tie) Matt Schalk 73-77-69–219; John Ogden 78-68-73–219; 10. (tie) Eric Bradley 73-80-67–220; Mike Northern 77-70-73–220.

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

“All too familiar,” Caine Fitzgerald said to a bystander Wednesday after completing the first playoff hole in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship at Cherry Creek Country Club.

Indeed, Fitzgerald had to be experiencing a little deja vu. Two years ago at Meridian Golf Club, he likewise was in a playoff in the same tournament. And like this year, that one had the participants play the 18th hole over and over until a winner was decided. Also, as with 2010, sudden death lasted longer than one hole.

But, fortunately for Fitzgerald, that’s where the similarities between 2010 and 2012 ended. Wednesday’s playoff went two holes, not three. And, most importantly, Fitzgerald won this time, unlike in 2010 when Chris Johnson prevailed.

After being runner-up in this event each of the last two years, the assistant professional at Murphy Creek claimed his first Colorado PGA Professional Championship title, defeating Matt Schalk on the second hole of sudden death when Schalk missed a 2-foot par putt. Ironically, Schalk had forced the playoff on the same hole about a half-hour earlier by making a 20-foot birdie putt, his third birdie in the last four holes of regulation.

“This feels good,” said Fitzgerald, a 38-year-old left-hander. “A lot of friends have won the tournament, so I’m really proud to get one for myself. I’ve been trying hard for a few years.

“For us (club professionals), this is our biggest event. I won the Iowa Open in 1997, but I was 23 years old and too young to know better basically. This is the first really big thing I’ve won since then, so I’m really proud of it.”

In a final round that was played for the most part in miserable conditions — drenching rain, casual water commonplace, standing water in bunkers, etc. — Fitzgerald closed with a 2-over-par 74, which left him at 4-under 212 along with Schalk, the general manager and director of golf at Colorado National Golf Club and The Fox Hill Club. Schalk (pictured at left) tied Doug Rohrbaugh of Ironbridge Golf Club for the day’s low round with a 72.

But after making three birdies in the last four holes to get into a playoff, Schalk let his shot at the title get away with the three-putt on the second playoff hole.

“You don’t want to miss a short putt like that, but I didn’t really feel like I did anything wrong,” said Schalk, who hit his ball into the nearby lake after the crucial 2-foot miss. “I must have decelerated and pulled it a little bit. It happens. It’s disappointing, but that’s the way it goes.”

The win was worth $7,500 to Fitzgerald, while Schalk settled for $5,000.

Rohrbaugh tied 36-hole co-leader Micah Rudosky of Conquistador for third place, three strokes back of Fitzgerald and Schalk. Rudosky closed with a 77. Defending champion Rob Hunt of The Links claimed fifth place at 217 after a final-round 76.

Those five — along with sixth-place finishers John Ogden of Cherry Hills, Bill Loeffler of Highlands Ranch and Mike Northern of Valley Hi — qualified for the PGA Professional National Championship that will be held June 23-26 in Sunriver, Ore.

While the weather cleared enough Wednesday afternoon for the leaders to play the last four or five holes of regulation without rain, it was so bad earlier in the day that there were understandably a lot of unhappy campers out on the course.

Even though Schalk tied for the day’s best round, he was among them.

“We shouldn’t have been on this golf course today,” he said. “Guys are squeegeeing greens, but they’re squeegeeing for one group but not the next group. You get to the point you’re changing the integrity of the golf course.”

With casual water — or outright puddles — the norm rather than the exception, lift, clean and place rules were in effect. But beyond the golf course conditions, it was a constant battle for players to keep their equipment dry.

“It was difficult out there,” Fitzgerald said. “It was challenging for sure. All day my mentality was, ‘OK, let’s make 18 pars.’ I just wanted to make it as stress-free as possible. I felt like I was pretty dialed in with my approach — how I wanted to handle it — but making sure I had a good grip on every shot, and executing what I wanted to do, was the key.”

And Fitzgerald was remarkably consistent given the conditions. He made a double bogey on No. 2, but from then on he carded one birdie, one bogey and 14 pars.

Rudosky, not Schalk, was Fitzgerald’s main competition most of the final day. In fact, the 2001 Section champion led the tournament by a stroke with nine holes left. But a 41 on the back side Wednesday derailed Rudosky’s chances.

Then Schalk, the Section championship runner-up in 2005, kicked it into high gear on the final four holes, making birdie putts of 8, 25 and 20 feet and Nos. 15, 16 and 18. And he left an 8-footer on No. 17 short.

Schalk almost won the tournament outright in regulation. Playing a group ahead of Fitzgerald, he made his closing birdie. Then Fitzgerald (pictured hitting at left with Rudosky watching) missed the green on 18 and had to drain an 8-foot par putt to keep his hopes alive.

In the playoff, Fitzgerald and Schalk made routine pars on the first playoff hole, and looked like they’d do the same on the second. After Schalk stroked his 25-foot birdie attempt 2 feet past the cup, Fitzgerald two-putted from 20 feet for par. Schalk’s par try then hit the left lip and trickled by the hole.

“I’ve been in contention quite a few times and just didn’t get it done,” Fitzgerald said regarding this tournament. “Somebody always played a little bit better. Honestly, I thought today that was going to be Matty (Schalk) the way he finished. I never dreamed he would have missed that putt. I felt awful for him.”

Fitzgerald estimates he’s finished in the top seven of the Colorado PGA Professional Championship six times — including those second-place showings in both 2010 and 2011 — but he finally claimed the big prize on Wednesday.

“I’m the bridesmaid of this (PGA) Section,” the resident of Parker said. “I’ve never won our player of the year. I’ve been the runner-up player of the year the last three years to three different people, and I’m working on it again this year.”

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